I had joined the 2nd cohort at MakerSquare in fall of 2013. Prior to MakerSquare, I had tried…read morelearning Ruby and JS on my own, through countless books and online tutorials. Having completed a few guides, I realized that my ability to learn "how to code" was hindered simply by my style of learning. I love interactive q/a style learning, which is what led me to MakerSquare. Of the different programs out there, the one thing I would urge others to consider is that they place a heavy amount of weight onto prework completed (how much work you've done ahead of time) and community-fit. If you're a solo worker and not a fan of collaborative environments, you may want to consider other programs. Anyways, long story short, I would whole heartedly recommend this program. As classmates, I had former programmers, retail store workers, a professional photographer and even a former elementary teacher. Out of the program, each of the students were working as professional front-end engineers (junior developers) within weeks of graduating. So safe to say, MakerSquare has a great professional network, and they know how to teach code. The classroom environment (the location on Congress ave) was a bit cramped at times. But from what I've heard the class size is now capped at 18, vs. 30 or so when I went through. All the 'issues' I had (space constraints, less than ideal student:instructor ratio, and focus on advanced concepts (algorithms and data structures) has been completely addressed. According to the staff, Cohort 5 is operating on an almost night/day difference of curriculum than what I had. So not only do I give the program 5 stars, I would (and likely will) retake the course to take advantage of their newest curriculum.

In short, I'm very happy! Though I'm not programming on a daily basis, I was able to get into the…read moreSt. Louis startup scene which was my main goal before enrolling at MakerSquare. I've also built a really awesome network of programmers and startup gurus in St. Louis and I believe that's thanks to MakerSquare! :-) I joined in Winter 2013-2014 (Cohort 3 Represent!). My reason for joining originally was not initially to become a software/web developer. Rather, I wanted to be able to communicate better with programmers that I worked with. I wanted to gain better access to the startup network. And most importantly I have a lot of ideas that I wanted to explore on my own - I didn't want to have to rely on finding a developer to build my ideas and turn them into a reality. I came out of the program having learned web-development with a strong emphasis on solid software development skills. Here's what I loved about MakerSquare: Curriculum: I was impressed by how much I learned. I literally had no experience in programming and I can now build web applications that ACTUALLY work. Not just simple interactive sites, but fully dynamic applications that work heavily with javascript on top of a rails framework. Moreover, all of this was taught with a very clear emphasis on test driven development (from the beginning) and solid software development principles. Instructors & Culture: They actually cared about the students and our progress and they were just all-around cool people. The culture at MakerSquare was actually a huge focus in the organization. I think what I loved most was learning how to learn all over again. I gained a new confidence that I've never had. The energy was also great, everyone had awesome ideas - from students to staff. Feedback: I would have liked to have more experience with Ruby and really learning how to code w/algorithms and such vs. w/Rails which is just teaching you the framework. From what I gather, Rails is now being treated as a detail vs. a core of what we learned. When we learned rails, it was about utilizing the framework for its ActiveRecord and quick-to-web functionality. MakerSquare still teaches web development (rails/mvc, http, javascript, etc) but now only after teaching other concepts that are applicable not just to the web, but to all software (test-driven development, SOLID principles, application boundaries, decoupling, databases, interfaces, software architecture, etc). I would have loved a deeper problem-solving skillset through exposure to algorithms. Looks like I was one cohort shy of that. MakerSquare now integrates algorithms and algorithmic thinking from day 1. Finally, MakerSquare was split into two nearby locations (Congress & Brazos). The extra space was nice, but it felt disconnected and I think it kept our cohort from being as close as some other cohorts have been.

Both my children went to this school for a year of preschool, even though the school considered…read morethem both to be neurotypical, after my older son got kicked out of his preschool for behavioral issues. I can't say enough good things about Williams. They have on-site behavioral therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Each classroom has a quiet sensory room attached for children who get over stimulated, and there's an indoor gross motor room that my son was able to able to utilize when he became too hyperactive. They have smaller class sizes, and were able to work with him one-on-one when he needed it. The teachers and other staff were all very competent and capable. We interviewed at several different schools, most of which had said that they would be willing to take him and might be able to meet his needs, but it gave me a great deal of Peace of mind KNOWING that this school would be able to with with him regardless of his behaviors. Both my children thrived at the school, where they were only surviving before. I also think it was a very valuable experience for both of them to be surrounded by this diverse population and the teacher was even able to challenge them both academically, even though they were only in preschool. They both loved going to school there, and they learned a lot! My older son was eventually diagnosed with ADHD, sensory integration disorder, and a tic disorder. He's now transitioned to public school. Well see how that goes. Williams set the bar really high.

Amazing school! I worked there for over 2 years and can honestly say I would send my own child with…read morespecial needs their in a heart beat! Please consider opening a south Austin location as well have numerous south Austin Autism families that would benefit!

CyberTex has major problems when it comes to teaching and how the teachers act. Most students feel…read morelike we aren't really learning anything because classes are poorly organized and there's barely any real instruction. We often end up having to teach ourselves instead of getting help from the teachers, which is really frustrating. The lessons are confusing or don't happen at all, making it impossible to keep up. It feels like the school is setting us up for failure, as we are not given the support we need to succeed. Also, YOU CAN'T TALK TO THEM ABOUT ANYTHING; they just don't listen or care. The focus seems to be more on making money than on giving us a proper education. This whole situation makes it a horrible place for students, and it really should be shut down. No one should have to go through this kind of experience when they're trying to learn and grow.

So based on what i have experienced no i would not recommend them. They have some amazing staff in…read morethe office, some teachers are incredible and some self important faculty think far too highly on there past experience spending class time telling you how impressive they are vers going over actual relevant material. When questions for examples in the subject in the outline of the chaper are asked for "i don't know" is the response not a let me find out or let's do a quick surch as I'm not sure . Then if another class mate looks it up on google and states it's an example the instructor will say "no that sounds wrong" then goes back to talking about he got days vs the subject in the curriculum

Paulette, was wonderful helpful and honest. Got my zipper replaced on my sofa cushion. Fast,…read morefriendly & affordable.

Paulette was wonderful to work with! My husband and I took 2 of our 6 dining room chairs in for…read moreher to see and assess. We took the other 4 in after we knew that Austin Upholstery Studio was the perfect place to make the chair magic happen! Paulette helped us select the right fabrics and cushion thickness.These chairs are from a dining room set that was my grandmother's. Very old. In desperate need of an update! They look fabulous!! We are totally thrilled with the results. Such attention to detail and expert workmanship. And a reasonable price for this amount and quality of work. Thank you, Paulette and staff!

It is after Staar test and we still only have less than 30 minutes of free choice every day. If you…read moresend your child here, you'll regret it. Rarely any free time every day.

STEM school with a great history of taking care of kids. Peaceful atmosphere and nice teachers. We…read moreare really happy to part of this family.

A hidden gem. If you don't want your player to be disciplined by a true soccer master, then go play…read morerec. Coach David's methods may not work for everyone, but those who stick with it receive consistent technical training and unique soccer opportunities. No cry babies.

Coach David is an amazing Coach that wants the best for his players, focuses on the details, and…read morehas the best training I have ever attended.

This school has helped me learn so much I'm grateful for the instructors help and patience…read moreespecially from instructor Esmeralda , Valentine . They always made learning fun This was such a great experience!

I've had the best time at this school! I have learned so much over the last 18 weeks, I can't…read morebelieve how fast it went by! My instructors deserve all the credit! GiGi, Esmeralda, and Shay have been so supportive and have taught me so much, they answer every question in detail and take their time genuinely teaching all the information!